Copyholder



Feb. 20, 1951 M. J. ROCHFORD 2,542,290

COPYHOLDER Filed Oct. 15, 1948 INVE TOR.

Patented Feb. 20, 1951 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to stands or holders for shorthand notebooks, pads and copy work, and one object is to provide a stand of this character which contains means to secure a firm grip of the book or other work on the stand.

A further object is to provide a stand which affords simple clearance for turningthe leaves of the book or other work back to drape behind the stand and be out of the way.

Another object is to provide a mechanism for clamping the book or other Work which is almost entirely behind the top of the stand, affording full access to the front of the latter.

An important object is to construct the novel stand along lines of simplicity and mechanical efliciency.

With the above objects in view, and any others which may suggest themselves from the description to follow a better understanding of the in-- vention may be by reference to the accompanying drawing, in whichi 1 is a perspective view of the stand;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of the upper portion thereof, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a manner in which a shorthand notebook is clamped to the stand; and

Fig. 4 is a side view of the latter.

In accordance with the foregoing, specific reference to the drawing indicates the frontal plate of the stand at H3 and a pair of frames H secured to the back of the plate and serving as legs in a manner to give the plate a rearward tilt.

A shorthand notebook 15 is shown mounted on the plate it. While such a notebook may be of any form for the present purpose, a more modern type employing a spiral Wire binder IE is illustrated.

Means are provided for clamping the top portion of the notebook or other work to the plate Ill, such means'being a unit secured to the back of the plate by rivets I? or other suitable means. The unit comprises a pair of bracket plates 29 having inward bends secured by the rivets l1 and extending rearwardly of the plate [0. The brackets are identical in construction and are each formed on the inner side with a pair of longitudinally-spaced guides 21 for a rack bar 22. While the rear end of the latter is plain, the front end is widened to form a pair of downwardly directed hooks 25 of curved design. Figs. 1 and 2 show that the hooks 25 are in a position to engage the upper portion of the notebook l5 while clearing the incidental coils of the spiral binder I6. The rack bars 22 are drawn rearwardly to make the hooks 25 function as clamps for the notebook or other work, such influence being exerted by a pair of extension springs 26. Thus, the front end of each spring is secured to a side pin 21 carried by the related rack bar, while the rear end of the spring is secured to a side pin 28 projecting inwardly from the corresponding bracket plate.

It is intended that the action of the clamping hooks be uniform, and a connection is therefore made to equalize the action of the rack bars. As shown in Fig. 2, these have their teeth 38 at the top; and the bracket plates 2d are extended upwardly to serve as bearings for a transverse shait 32 which carries rigidly secured p1n ions 33 in meshing relation with the rack bars 22. The mechanism of the shaft and rack bars is covered and concealed by a hood 3o Whose ends overlap the upper portions 01' the bracket plates 20 and are secured to the same by screws 35 or other suitable means. The shaft 32 extends from one end of the hood 35 to receive a knob do, such end corresponding to the righthand reach of the operator.

Ordinarily, the springs 26 draw the hooks 25 into engagement with the plate l0 as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. However, when the notebook or other work is to be mounted on the stand, the knob 40 is rotated in the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. 1 to project the hooks 25 forwardly to an extent permitting the insertion of the notebook or work, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. When the knob is released, the springs 26 exert the necessary pull on the hooks 25 to firmly clamp the work to the stand.

It will be apparent that only the hooks 25 project in front of the stand plate [0, so that such front is fully accessible for the application of the notebook or other work. Further, the structure behind the clamping hooks is well below the same -as shown in Fig. 2-so that leaves rolled back from the top of the notebook from time to time will neatly fold over the hood 35 and drape along the back of the stand to be out of the way as the front page of the book is being read or copied from. Further, the mechanism for clamping the work is balanced by being of dual design and uniformly controlled by the shaft 32, so that the clamps move together both in the opening and engaging directions. Further, the mechanism for the stand is in the form of a compact and simply constructed unit readily applicable to the plate of the stand. Finally, the device presents a neat appearance and is in a position where it inter- 3 feres in no way with the work or the handling thereof.

While I have described the invention along specific lines, various minor changes or refinements may be made therein without departing from its principle, and I reserve the right to employ all such changes and refinements as may come within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim: I

A notebook copy holder comprising in combination an inclined frontal plate designed to receive the copy on its forward face, legs attached to and supporting the plate, a pair of laterally spaced brackets extending rearwardly from the upper portion of the frontal plate, longitudinallyspaced guides formed on the brackets, rack bars slidable in the guides and having hooks movable in respect to the frontal plate, a pair of pinions engageable with the rack bars for operating the same, an operating rod extended through the brackets and rotatably supporting the pinions to 4 jointly move the rack bars and hooks forwardly of the frontal plate, an external knob carried by the rod for the rotary manipulation of the same, and spring means for drawing the rack bars rearwardiy to cause the hooks to engage the frontal plate.

MICHAEL J. 'ROCHFORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,195,558 Church Aug. 22, 1916 1,593,588 Moore July 27, 1926 1,639,883 Conway Aug. 23, 1927 1,919,429 Harper July 25, 1933 2,204,305 Gottlieb June 11, 1940 2,211,437 Sattler Aug. 13, 1940 2,301,692 Forca Nov. 10, 1942 

